Greg Carlwood | News & Event Update

00:00 Hello higher side chatters, how the hell are ya? Holdin' in there I hope despite the dystopian downslide and the controlled demolition of the American Empire. Thank you Charlie Robinson! But hey listen... You know it's pretty rare that i do some sort of news update or anything like that but still after 10 years just haven't found the best way to communicate stuff to you guys Tacking updates on to the end of two hour interviews isn't really very effective, but I know the score. We want to get into content quickly! I'm always trying to be good about that Nothing more annoying than eight minutes of sponsorship ads or a long preamble before bringing in the guest But I got a few things to throw out so... A dedicated update seems worth it First and foremost is The Austin Texas Hireside Chats Rune Soup crossover event

00:53 We had big plans to do like an on stage thing and a live Q&A, and we just hit too many roadblocks. Venues wanted too much money but then they also couldn't provide chairs or drinks or food or something We just had a lot of logistical issues but then the clouds parted and one of Gordon's people presented him with a great venue that has food and drink, we decided screw it this doesn't have to be a ticket event let's just make it a free casual meetup kinda thing. Which is great but because of the venues size we decided its also gotta be a members only meetup

01:31 Probably a bummer to some, but we want to show the appreciation especially these days for sticking with us. You already support us so the event being free makes sense and We won't completely flood this place beyond capacity So it seemed like the move and I said all this on the end of the last show But it was a pretty controversial And polarizing episode one that I know a lot of people didn't finish so I thought it deserved better So if you're in or want to be in Austin, Texas on June 25th You can come have food and drinks with me and Gordon and a lot of other people who you probably would enjoy hanging out with as we all like A lot of the same stuff. If you're a plus member just log into TheHigherSideShots.com And click on the big event banner at the top and fill out the form and your on the guest list

02:21 Yes, you can bring friends and spouses. It's not some super strict thing but we just have a cap so don't sleep on it too long if it's something that interests you And so that's the big one and really I could just give that to plus members But the other thing which is more for everyone Is that my YouTube timeout is over? And we got this Spotify feedback Can you believe it people Wow I honestly had no idea how many people used spotify to listen to THC and it does make me a little sad. But almost every post for the last two months that i put up either social media or just some stupid meme or whatever, at least one person is like hey what happened to thc on Spotify? And this happens time and time again where we get removed from somewhere

03:11 where we get put into YouTube timeout and I try to say something about it in the next episode but those people don't hear it because they're still waiting for me to show up on whatever that platform is. And really guys, every time someone asks me what happened to THC on Spotify or YouTube an Archon gets its wings alright? I try to be a pretty clear communicator and keep things simple. And i also try not to dwell on cancel culture or censorship, strikes, any of that kind of stuff... That's an me problem! But now that we're back in both places, I can take the opportunity to say third party platforms are really not the best place to follow THC

03:55 Sure, there are good places to discover the show but it should be obvious that we're walking a tightrope on any of these platforms and our days are numbered. On YouTube I can just opt to not include certain episodes and i do do that but on Spotify if its in the feed then its in the feed But I just wanted to address some things like Spotify is so much easier or I like having all the shows in a big list Well, I'm going to show my own website first for plus and non-plus listeners. We have a cool category Netflix style display now which is a great way to explore older shows by topic A really robust search also by topic and everything's tagged to be about the content that the episode includes And you can simply go to the archive on the menu bar and get the same kind of list you get on Spotify

04:47 And I would put my own podcast web player up against Spotify any day. We did a lot of work on it this past year and it's super easy, and its clear and doesn't freeze half as much as Spotify does for me so there is that but a podcast should be a podcast which means you should access through the RSS feed You shoul have an app that you plug your feeds into like Podcast Addict or Podverse It's like your own custom streaming site and that is the way it really should work. Podcast player apps are all neutral, and now thanks to Adam Curry with the Podcasting 2.0 database our shows aren't even in the hands of Apple! And most modern apps are connecting to the new database for their search function so that makes shows like The Hireside Chat really difficult to shut down. It just takes a little technical knowledge on your part

05:41 So the news is that yes, we are back on those two places that we've been absent from for months. But I'm talking directly to those people and pleading with them to connect in a different way We're all creatures of habit, i get it but if i get shut off on these places again don't expect me to answer literally hundreds of individual comments and tech support threads and all this stuff The answer to why we aren't there should be obvious If we aren't there, then we've been removed or banned or whatever and you should be a bit more tactical with your online experience anyway. if my website goes down well... We got problems! But as long as I can keep that intact i'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. I do also have a sign up for the Hireside Chat's newsletter on the website and I never really put out any newsletter. I prefer to communicate via the show itself via the RSS feed

06:34 But if something serious were to happen, I would use whatever email list I have to get the word out. So sign up for that if you would like to know in that sort of situation but honestly I just don't use it like a good content creator should. I get enough BS emails and I assume you feel the same way so that's more of an in case-of-emergency break glass And that's also really the main stuff, the Hireside Soup event in Austin next month and return to the corporate controlled platforms that we have no business being on anyway. Of course it is probably my fault for getting people used to the hireside chats in these places to begin with but this is where were at

07:14 Also, while I got you, I guess I should say that Plus Members who want to request guests... ...I did go into the Guest Request Forum thread and take out all the recommended guests and made my own list to comb through anytime I've got free time. So feel free to add more and I'll go through those as well! I guess on the flip side of that, even though i don't do a ton of interviews on other shows and im not really an expert on anything. I might as well say that Im totally open to it if you like other shows that you want me on because you think id vibe well with the host or whatever With a kid now no promotional push is too much so put the feelers out for me guys

07:56 I need to stop being so lazy on that and probably do a round of other interviews to talk about what we got going on around here. Word-of-mouth is what it's all about! So, I appreciate the support...I don't mean to come off grumpy about this stupid YouTube Spotify stuff but i just don't like sounding like every other podcaster and I don't like them getting so much real estate in my head or being that big apart of what we got going on Obviously, if you really like the show Plus is the best. You get a whole second hour and we're more intimately connected via the comments and the forums and email so if there was any real drama you would be the first to know but thanks for caring and listening either way I hope I see a lot of you guys in Austin! I guess we are driving the higher side mobile back out there with The Fam 19 hours in the car one way no big deal

08:49 But it's looking like we're going to be there on the 25th from 5-10, so a long time to come hang out and compare notes. It is also Gordon's birthday! And this will be my final word on third party platforms We are there until we aren't and then you can decide to either give up on Hireside Chats or follow us where we will be The website and by extension the RSS feed But I've got a killer new episode coming out for you guys tomorrow, probably unexpected and certainly one of our favorite subjects to get into. And I'll see you then! Take care of you and yours be good to each other keep your pimp pants strong this is the way and praise be to he